[FuzzyRussianHat]

Defending West African Baseball champion Dakar again was the Western League’s top seed, winning the new North Division at 104-58. The Dukes’ playoff streak grew to seven seasons, locking up a fourth straight appearance in the Western League Championship Series. Dakar’s high powered offense led WAB with 970 runs and set a new WAB record for team slugging percentage at .542.

Freetown dominated the South Division at 101-61, earning a fourth straight playoff trip and their eighth in nine years. The Foresters allowed the fewest runs in the WL with 668. With the realignment to divisions, the other two playoff teams would be each division’s second place finisher. Both divisions had a handful of teams in a tight race.

The best of them was Monrovia, advancing out of the South at 90-72 ahead of 87-75 efforts by Abidjan and Kumasi. The Diplomats ended what was the longest active playoff drought in WAB at 18 seasons. Monrovia had 1776 hits and a .307 team batting average, which were both the second-best seasons in Western League history. The Monkeys notably had a four-year playoff streak ended and the Athletes missed for only the second time in a decade.

The #2 spot in the North had four teams within three games of each other. Nouakchott (86-76) emerged the victor over Cape Verde (85-77), Bamako (83-79), Conakry (83-79), and Banjul (80-82). The Night Riders ended their won eight year postseason drought.

Dakar 3B Junior Jose won his fourth Western League MVP and seventh Silver Slugger. The 30-year old Mozambican had won the top honor previously in 2024, 27, and 28. Jose led in home runs (63), total bases (428), and WAR (9.7). He added 198 hits, 131 runs, 37 doubles, 141 RBI, 1.123 OPS, and 179 wRC+. The former #1 overall pick was in his eighth year with the Dukes. Jose also had a 25-game hitting streak in the fall and joined the 400 home run and 1000 RBI clubs.

Pitcher of the Year went to Freetown’s Ameyaw Abdul, who led in strikeouts (302), WHIP (0.96), shutouts (2), and WAR (7.9). The 24-year old Cameroonian righty had a 16-8 record, 2.87 ERA, 204 innings, and 161 ERA+. Abdul’s filthy stuff would earn him a six-year, $78,460,000 extension the following summer with the Foresters. He would have a great 2031, but fell off quickly as his control cratered from a combination of injuries and the yips.

Monrovia defeated Nouakchott 2-0 in the first round, but was promptly iced 2-0 by Freetown in the second round. For the fourth straight year and the sixth time in seven years, the Foresters made it to the Western League Championship Series. This renewed a finals rivalry with Dakar, whom they had met four times in that stretch. The Dukes had won in the 2025, 2027, and 2029 encounters with Freetown’s lone win coming in 2028.

Dakar continued their control of the rivalry and did it decisively with a 3-0 WLCS sweep over the Foresters. With the repeat and their fourth pennant in six years, the Dukes were now eight-time Western League champs. They’re the first WL team to win four in a six year span since Monrovia’s four-peat from 2005-08.



Four-time defending Eastern League champ Cotonou looked to continue their dynasty, taking the EL’s top seed and first in the new Coastal Division at 107-55. The Copperheads allowed the fewest runs in WAB at 635 and broke their own WAB single-season attendance record with 2,248,829 tickets sold. Port Harcourt advanced as a distant second place at 91-71, besting Lome by six games. The Hillcats earned repeat playoff berths.

In a tight Interior Division, Kano (98-64) edged out Benin City (97-65) for the top spot, although both advanced to the playoffs. The Condors ended a three-year playoff drought while the Blue Devils earned repeat trips. The next closest team was Niamey down at 88-74, ending their playoff streak at six seasons. Benin City led the EL in scoring with 963 runs.

Leading the Blue Devils offense was Eastern League MVP Joao Sebastiao da Silva, who led with 71 home runs, 167 RBI, 139 runs, and 449 total bases. His was the fifth season in WAB history of 70+ homers and his RBI tally was the fifth-best in WAB annuls. In addition, da Silva had 205 hits, 27 doubles, 1.072 OPS, 163 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR. The 27-year old Angolan third baseman signed an eight-year, $123,980,000 extension with Benin City back in June 2028.

Port Harcourt’s Ngalle Eto’o won his third Pitcher of the Year, having also won it in 2024 and 2028. 2030 was his fourth ERA title at 2.30 as the 31-year old Cameroonian lefty also led in wins (22-5), WHIP (0.81), K/BB (17.6), FIP- (39), and WAR (8.7). Eto’o struck out 282 over 179.2 innings, missing out on the Triple Crown by six Ks behind teammate Alhassan Sheriff.

Benin City beat Port Harcourt 2-0 in the first round, then pulled off the 2-0 upset of Kano in the second round. The Blue Devils had only twice previously been in the Eastern League Championship Series way back in 1980 and 1982. Unfortunately for them, Cotonou’s dynasty stood in the way of winning their first-ever pennant.

The Copperheads prevailed 3-1 over Benin City to complete the five-peat, a feat previously only accomplished in WAB during Kano’s epic nine-year reign from 1997-05. Cotonou became eight-time EL champs (2010, 11, 13, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30).



The 56^th West African Championship was another showdown between Dakar and Cotonou, who had built up an impressive finals rivalry. It began with a Copperheads victory in 2013, the final of their early 2010s dynasty. Cotonou’s second dynasty had a 2027 win over the Dukes, giving them back-to-back titles. The Copperheads lost in the 2028 final to Freetown, followed by Dakar getting revenge in 2029.

For 2030, Cotonou returned to the throne by surviving a seven-game classic with Dakar. The Copperheads were now six-time WAB champs (2010, 11, 13, 26, 27, 30) and were the first to win three titles in five years since they last did it. Finals MVP was 3B Paolo Apanga in his sixth season in Cotonou and first as a full-time starter. The 30-year old Gabonese righty in 11 playoff starts had 16 hits, 10 runs, 2 doubles, 3 homers, and 8 RBI.



Other notes: WAB hit king Fares Belaid moved to #2 on the all-time list for hits in all of pro baseball history. The 41-year old Tunisian started the season with Jos, but was traded to Abidjan in the summer, finishing the campaign with 4843 career hits. This passed EBF hit king Jiri Lebr’s 4651 for the #2 slot. Belaid was now conceivably in striking distance of Prometheo Garcia, who had 5083 hits between his CABA/MLB tenures from 1943-68.

Belaid had a good season with 207 hits, .892 OPS, and 3.8 WAR and signed an extension to stick around with the Athletes. He also finished the year at 2493 runs, 892 doubles and 451 triples. Belaid moved to #2 on the world runs scored list and was just behind SAB legend Majed Darwish’s 2664. Belaid was already the world doubles leader and was now six behind EBF’s Carsten Dal (457) for the most triples ever.

Monrovia’s Adam Seaton had a .398 average in 2030 and set the WAB single-season triples record with 40. It was only the 17^th time across all world leagues that someone recorded a 40+ triple season. WAB’s 20^th perfect game was thrown by Conakry’s Juilen Essongue on July 22 with five strikeouts against Banjul. Abdel Aziz Ashraf became the 6^th member of the 700 home run club and Youssoupha Diop became the 9^th to 600 dingers. Mohamed Khammas was the 25^th to smack 500 homers.

Jonah Moiseiwitsch became the 4^th to reach 3500 career hits and Ahmed Kone was the 8^th to 3000 hits. Diop and Rasaq Kadir each got to 2500 hits, now met by 35 WAB batters. Kadir won his 7^th Silver Slugger in CF. Rio Ogbonna was the 22^nd to reach 1500 RBI while Diop and Desmond Jaiyeola were the 15^th and 16^th to 1500 runs scored. Rene Zossou became the 10^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. SS Saturday Solomon won his 8^th consecutive Gold Glove.